Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Virji Premji Parpiya traced his lineage from his ancestor, called Khoja Bhalo (d. 1607), who lived around 1154 at Lohgadh in Punjab, belonging to the Lohana class in the Rajput stock. He embraced Ismailism by Pir Dadu (d. 1596) and with the request of Rao Bharmal (1585-1631), the ruler of Kutchh, Pir Dadu left Sind and arrived in Kutchh with Khoja Bhalo in 1587. Bhalo was employed to a high post in the state administration. He was followed by his son Lakho (d. 1629), Khetasi (d. 1687) and Banno, who died in Delhi in 1715. His son was Jivo (d. 1752), whose son was Ebhalo (d.

He was born on August 12, 1916 and educated in the English High School, Bombay. His father, Alijah Ghulam Ali Fazalbhoy was a dealer of estates and properties. His son, Muhammad Ali also took up the estate business after his schooling.
He was an Honorary Secretary of the Religious Educational Department of the Ismailia Association for India in 1950. The Imam appointed him the President of the Ismailia Association between 1952 and 1958.

The
predecessors of Pir Sabzali hailed from Mundra, Kutchh. In his ancestry we find
a certain Sabzali Hansraj, the grandfather of Pir Sabzali, a small trader in
Kutchh. He was a dedicated social worker. His son Ramzan Ali (d. 1886) had
three sons, Mahomed Jaffer (1874-1918), Rahim (1880-1929), Pir Sabzali
(1884-1938) and three daughters, Fatimabai, Jainabai and Sonbai. Ramzan Ali had
come to Bombay, where he started his own business and was also a social worker
in the community.

Different
dates of the birth of Pir Sabzali sound in written and oral traditions, such as

He belonged to well-known Fazalbhoy family, whose all members have been closely connected with the community services. He graduated in 1924 and passed LL.B. in 1926 from Bombay University. He passed the Solicitor's examination in 1928, and became the Partner of Perera Fazalbhoy & Co., the famous Solicitors and Notary Public since 1929. He practiced in Bombay and earned a highest respect in all quarters in the legal circles, in public life and within the community. He was well respected by the Bench and the Bar. In youth, he was the Joint Secretary of Historical Society with K.T. Desai.

Bhagat Hira was a devoted Ismaili goldsmith in Punjab. His son, Ghulam Sadruddin had a strong proclivity towards Ismailism and conducted the religious school at his own residence in Multan. He translated 'Si-Harafi' of Sayed Ahmad Shah into Urdu. He and his forefathers were the gupti Ismailis, who subscribed to the Ismaili faith openly in 1912 in accordance with the instructions of the Imam. Ghulam Sadruddin served as a Mukhi of Multan Jamatkhana and a member of the district Council for Multan. He had four sons and three daughters. Hyder Ali who died young.

The Shamsi Ismailis in Punjab, the followers of Pir Shams (d. 1356), mostly practiced the Ismaili faith in solitude in the garb of the Hindus, and became known as the gupti (secretive). These gupti Ismailis mostly resided in 73 different villages in Punjab. Most of them revealed themselves from the Hindu culture, and emerged in public and assumed the Islamic names soon after the orders of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah in 1910. The Imam is reported to have issued his next orders in 1912, 1914 and 1916 to cut down the old customs of Hindu customs and become practicing Muslims.

Muhammad Rawjee, the grandfather of Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad Rawjee was born in Bombay on 1830. He got married at the age of 16 years in 1846. It is said that he was the first amongst the Indian Ismailis to have visited China at an early age in 1853, where he opened his branch. Initially, his business ran on partnership, but he alone conducted it after some time. He was noted for initiating many welfare institutions in 1883 and donated free houses to over fifty Ismaili families without charging rent, which was named after his father-in-law, Dhanji Karmali.

Karim Ibrahim's father Ibrahim Pabani came from Mandavi, Kutchh. He was an eminent owner of the ships, sailing in Arabian and Zanzibar coasts. He had three sons - Ladha, Datoo and Karim. Ibrahim Pabani died in 1857.

Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan (d. 1864), the ruler of Hunza State in the northern area of Pakistan, was succeeded by his son, Mir Muhammad Ghazan Khan I, whose successor Mir Safdar Ali Khan had taken refuge in Shagnan during the British invasion in 1891. The British commissioned his half-brother, Mir Muhammad Nazim Khan as the ruler of Hunza. Mir Muhammad Ghazan Khan II and then Mir Muhammad Jamal Khan followed him.

Varas Karim Ismail Mansawala, the first title holder of Varas among the gupti Ismailis of North Gujrat, was born in 1867 in Mansa, Gujrat and came with his family to Bombay at the age of 6 years in 1873.
He witnessed last 14 years of the Imamate of Imam Hasan Ali Shah, and blessed with the dastboshi. When Imam Hasan Ali Shah passed away, in 1881 and was buried in Hasanabad, he joined with the labourers in the construction of the mausoleum. Varas Karim Ismail Mansawala also present during the ascension of Imam Aga Ali Shah and took oath of allegiance.

Karim Kassim was the younger brother of Varas Bandali Kassim (1875-1956). He was born in 1878 in Karachi, where he acquired his formal education from Sind Madresa-tul-Islam School upto fourth class. He held a strong command in English, Gujrati and Sindhi languages. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan was his classmate.

Missionary Muhammad Murad Ali Juma, known as Bapu, a term of respect for an elderly man; was born in Bombay in 1878. His mother expired when he was hardly a year old. His father did not marry a second time for the sake of his son.

Sayed Imam Shah (d. 1520) is said to have launched a brisk mission in Gujrat. He converted a certain Khoja Jiva in Khambat, Gujrat. Khoja Jiva was well rooted in Ismailism and he himself converted large number of Kanabi caste of the Hindus, notably Motilal, Daya Ram Nathu, etc. The descendant of Motilal migrated to Surat during the time of Imam Nizar II (1585-1628), who deputed Sayed Abdul Nabi in India, whose tomb is in Kankara Khadi, near Surat. He was followed by the vakils, Hasan Pir (1652-1715), Sayed Ghulam Ali Shah (d. 1792), etc.,

His forefathers hailed from Lakhpat, Kutchh, and hence they migrated towards Gwadar. His father Bhagat Remu Mawji was a trader of cotton, wool, fish, rice and ghee, and also dealt the business of shark fins and fish maws with the Chinese merchants. Remu Mawji sprang from a family well known for their piety. He visited Bombay several times. He was the Kamadia of Gwadar Jamatkhana since 1892. He and Merali, the father of Alijah Datoo Meru laboured in the construction of the Jamatkhana.

Saboo, the great grandfather of Varas Kassim Ali lived in Jerruk, Sind. His grandfather, Karmali and his family known as the Sabooani family migrated to Karachi and settled in the location of Kharadhar. The father of Varas Kassim Ali was Muhammad Jaffer (1856-1946), served as a volunteer, and supplied the vegetables and fruits daily in the Honeymoon Lodge for Imam's family. In 1920, he generously contributed funds in the building of the premises of the Baitul Khiyal in Kharadhar Jamatkhana.

Count Mulji Nazar Ali was born most probably in 1901 in Moshi, Kenya. Nothing is known of his early life. He was however one of the generous, humane and eminent persons in Kenya. His outstanding services in Moshi seem to have begun with the construction of a new Jamatkhana in 1925, which he built with his own expenses of 40,000/- shillings. During his visit in Moshi on February 28, 1926, the Imam graced him with best loving blessings and said, 'You have built a beautiful Jamatkhana, and I will reward you a bungalow better than it in hereafter.

In 1852, Haji Paroo and Jaffer Paroo, two brothers emigrated from Bhuj, Kutchh and settled in Zanzibar. The son of Jaffer Paroo was Hasham Paroo, whose son was Rajab Ali. The son of Rajab Ali was Count Kassim Ali R. Paroo.

Mustapha Amir Ghaleb was born in 1923 in Salamia, Syria. He came from a family well known for their piety in Syria. The leadership of the Ismailis in Syria was hereditary in the family of Amir Ismail bin Muhammad (d. 1896), the first estate agent of the Imam, whose grandson was the uncle of Mustapha Ghaleb.
He got educated in Roman Catholic College and Lloyd Franans College at Beirut and had an aptitude for journalism. He acquired considerable proficiency and obtained a diploma in journalism from Egyptian College of Journalists in 1952.

Khuda Baksh Talib's forefathers came from Talhar, Sind who migrated to Lasbela via Karachi, then Ormada and made Gwadar finally as their home. His grandfather Karami had four sons, namely Talib, Pir Baksh, Fazal and Datoo. Talib's main source of income was in the dealing of dried fish. He had five sons, Nasir, Ghulam Hussain, Fakir Mohammad, Abdul Hussain and Khuda Baksh. Khairibai, the mother of Khuda Baksh was a renowned lady missionary.

The Ismailis of Sheikh Raj, a village between Bela and Uthal in Baluchistan migrated towards Karachi in 1852. The Ismaili caravan travelled on camels mostly comprised of the famous families of Shalu and Hashu. The sons of Shalu were Hood, Kassim, Khatau, Vali, etc. The name Shalu is the corrupt form of Saleh, who professed the business of wool and goat-hairs and his flourishing business was continued by his elder son, Hood or Hoodbhoy.